


Under the Ice

by Goddess47



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Character Bashing, First Time, M/M, Pre-Atlantis, Sentient AI
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29392596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47/pseuds/Goddess47
Summary: It was just John's luck to have to travel to the ends of the Earth to find his Guide.
Relationships: Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Comments: 10
Kudos: 160
Collections: Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-21





	Under the Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melagan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melagan/gifts).



> For Stargate Winter Fest 2021 - for Melagan. I know she loves Sentinel/Guide fic as well as first time. Hope you like it!

For a Sentinel, General O'Neill was pretty laid back so John didn't mind ferrying him to whatever the geeks that no one knew anything about were doing out on the ice. Even when the squid-thing attacked them, and John just _knew_ it was lethal, O'Neill kept his cool.

"We're going to be here a while," O'Neill said when they finally reached the base. "At least a day, maybe two. And I'd prefer you wait rather than go back to McMurdo."

John didn't audibly sigh. If he had some warning, he would have brought more clothes. Oh, well, he shouldn't get too dirty just sitting around. "I'll manage. Let me call back to McMurdo and let them know."

"Come down the elevator when you're done," O'Neill said. Then turned and pointed a finger at John. "Don't touch anything when you get down there!"

"O-o-o-kay..." John drawled. Whatever. 

"Fucking Generals," was all McMurdo Control to say when John reported they were going to stay for an unknown length of time. John grinned because he knew he was scheduled for some really, really boring hops that someone else would now have to take.

As John rode the -- very long! -- elevator down, he caught a scent of... nutmeg and... copper? Someone was baking below the ice in Antarctica? Nah. He shook his head and concentrated on the depth.

At the bottom, John could hear voices. One was shouting, loudly enough for John to hear it from where he was. Oh! O'Neill's Guide must be here. That would account for the aggrieved tone and the volume. He then heard O'Neill murmur something soothing and the voice reluctantly dropped off.

Not sure where to go or what to do, John exited the elevator room and tried to follow the sound of O'Neill's voice. The problem was that the underground space was a rabbit warren, with rooms in odd places and halls that curved back on themselves. 

John entered a room with an odd looking chair. He normally wouldn't but there was _something_ that prompted him to let his shields down a teeny bit and that something was insisting that he needed to sit in this chair. 

He knew enough from reading Harry Potter that you never trusted anything if you didn't know where its brains were. On the other hand, the information he read about being a Sentinel (he had kinda skipped out on the formal training, but that's a story for another day), said to trust one's instincts. 

John slowly approached the chair and touched the arm. He got a burst of _pleased_ back from it. 

"Huh." In for a dime... he turned and gingerly sat in the chair. Without prompting, the back reclined and the foot raised. He stretched out his arms so that his hands rested on the gel pads at the ends.

_Information_ and _relief_ flooded his brain.

"Whoa! Slow down!" John muttered. 

The flood stopped for a moment, then started at a more reasonable rate.

"Thanks!" John said.

"What are you doing here!" A loud voice demanded. "Who are you? You're not authorized to be here!" 

John opened his eyes to see a gun pointed at him. He thought to the AI -- that much he had figured out quickly -- _Need to take a break. I will be back._

A small, needy equivalent of _Promise?_ came to him.

_Yes!_

With that, the chair sat itself up and John blinked several times.

The guard backed away from him. "Stay right there!"

John held up his hands. "Not going anywhere!"

The guard called over a radio. "Intruder alert! Intruder in the Chair room! Code Black!"

"Black? Really?" John grinned. _Black_ was the code for _unknown number of armed intruders_. "Okay, do what you have to!"

The Guard looked at him, startled. Then re-pointed his gun. "Just stay there!"

John didn't need to be a Sentinel to hear the thudding of running footsteps coming in his direction. Half a dozen more guns were pointed in his direction.

Then a gusty sigh. "Major Sheppard? Who let you in?"

John looked over. "Master Sergeant Bates! Wondered where you had wandered off to. Good to see you again."

"Relax, everyone," Bates directed. "The Major is most likely from McMurdo and I'll guess that you brought General O'Neill here."

"Knew you were more than a pretty face," John grinned. Bates had run a Sentinel-friendly black market at the base they had been stationed at in Afghanistan. John had been able to get more than the basic supplies the Air Force provided to anyone who wasn't officially registered as Sentinels or Guides, and Bates hadn't asked any questions about why he wanted them.

"Heard about Captain Holland," Bates said with a nod. "He was a good man."

"Thank you," John sobered instantly. "He was."

"Well, since General O'Neill has gone to bond with his Guide, we're kind of in a dilemma," Bates said. "He can't confirm that you did come with him, and since most of us aren't really here, we can't call back and confirm your assignment."

"McMurdo Control knows we're on a flexible schedule. General said one or two days, so that's what I passed back," John added. "So no one will miss me until the General comes up for air."

"That's good," Bates replied. "I think."

"Hey, before you throw me in a dark room, and I guess down here they're all dark, any chance I can get a meal? Coffee would be nice, but I'll take whatever there might be," John asked. 

"Mess is pretty decent, and the geeks make sure there's good coffee," Bates grinned. "Okay, Matias, Anderson, take the Major to the mess and I'll find a room he can bunk down in," Bates directed.

"Wait, before we go, I have to let Trixie know what's going on," John said. He leaned back in the chair.

"Trixie?" Bates asked, puzzled.

_Biology requirements. I am going away for nutrition and rest. I should be back after the rest period._

A sense of _dismay_ but then _acceptance_ and John sat up in the chair.

"Haven't the docs been trying to figure out how this works?" Matias asked.

"Food first," John said firmly. "I'll never get to eat if the geeks get their hands on me."

"You got that right!" Matias agreed.

John led the way back to the Mess. Anderson asked, "How'd you know where to go?"

"Umm... Trixie told me?" John hesitantly replied.

"Oh, man, you're in so much trouble with the docs," Anderson grinned. 

John shrugged. "After we eat!" 

Matias pointed to a table near a wall. "You sit there. Anderson, stay with him. I'll get the food." He looked at John. "Any allergies or anything?" 

"Nah. But I don't like olives, if I can avoid them," John said. "Otherwise, I'm good."

"Be right back," Matias said.

John gamely sat in the chair against the wall so the others could box him in. Basic security that had been drilled into him over the years.

Matias brought two trays. "I got some of each, you two fight over which you want." He left to get his own dinner.

John looked it over. "I'm easy, you pick." Anderson took the meatloaf and John happily started to eat the pasta casserole. He inhaled the single cup of coffee on the tray.

"I'm going to need more to drink than that," he admitted. "I can wait, but I'll need a couple of liters of water. I was in that chair too long and the air is pretty dry, so I need to re-hydrate."

Anderson nodded. 

Matias came back with more meatloaf. 

"Major needs more to drink," Anderson said. "I'll get it in a minute."

"Didn't think of that, sorry," Matias apologized.

"How long have I been here?" John asked.

Matias shrugged. "Six-ish hours? Knowing when Generals come and go is above my pay grade."

"No wonder I'm stiff," John said, wriggling slightly in his chair. "I was under for at least five hours then. Is there anything like a running track? I'll settle for a treadmill."

Anderson laughed. "Nope, we go up top when we need to let off steam. And the geeks send us looking for shit regularly. So no need for a track."

"Makes sense, just thought I'd ask," John said.

Anderson inhaled his meal, got up and brought back a carafe of water. 

"Thanks!" John drank two glasses immediately. He finished up his own food and drank some more water.

"Yeah, have to remind the newbies to keep drinking. All this ice is deceiving, it is relatively dry down here," Matias agreed.

"Incoming!" Anderson warned.

A small pod of non-military people were headed in their direction. The man in the lead had on a striking orange fleece and had a notebook computer cradled in one arm.

"Who the fuck are you? Who said you could sit in that chair?" he demanded.

John looked up into the bluest eyes.

"Oh!"

The man backed away. "No. No. No. No. No. No. I don't have time for this! We're on a schedule..."

John took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment and locked down his shields.

"How did you do that?" blue eyes demanded as he inched closer. "I can't even tell you're a Sentinel!"

"Lots of practice?" John said holding on to his shields for dear life.

This was _his_ Guide!

"I'll get back to that. Now, what were you doing in the chair?"

"Talking to Trixie?"

"What the fuck?"

John sighed. "It's an AI, it was lonely and I couldn't just keep calling it _hey you_. So her name is Trixie."

"You had to go for the hooker name?" 

"What can I say. I kind of ran through a list and she liked that one. She picked it, I didn't."

Someone in the back snickered. 

Blue eyes whirled around. "Stop it. This isn't funny."

"Kinda is," John said. He stood up. "Normally, I'd offer to shake hands but I suspect we shouldn't until we can... talk."

John heard someone mutter softly. _Talk. Right. With McKay?_ John ignored it. Damn, his hearing was kicking in. He fought to dial it down.

"Major John Sheppard. I brought General O'Neill here earlier and evidently he's off bonding with his Guide," John introduced himself.

"Dr. Rodney McKay," blue eyes said. "What's your degree in?"

"Math."

"How far along did you get?"

John shrugged. "Finished my master's a while back. Since I have a lot of time on my hands right now, I'm poking at a PhD."

"What field?"

"Algebra."

"Who's your advisor and what's your thesis topic?"

"My advisor is Dr. Larry Fleinhardt at Cal Sci. I'm poking at Hodge, but I have a side proof that I'm working on if I can't get far enough along to crack part of the fourth dimension proof."

"Huh. Okay, you'll do." McKay turned around to the group in back of him. "Don't any of you have something better to do?"

Most scurried away. One stayed. "Nope. I'm waiting on you for your work on the Ancient database. So I can stay for the explosion."

McKay hung his head. "Fuck. Weir."

The other man leaned around McKay and waved. "Dr. Radek Zelenka. Glad to meet you Major."

"Who's Weir?" John asked.

"The Expedition Leader. Supposedly. But she's a _politician_ and not a scientist." McKay all but growled.

"And not a military mind. A _diplomat_!" Zalenka added. 

John latched on to one word. "Expedition?"

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." McKay swore heartily. "Okay, we need to go to the lab."

"Not without us," Matias put in. "The Major here is technically an intruder until we can talk to General O'Neill."

"Fuck. That could be a couple of days." McKay took a deep breath and let it out. Then another. "Fuck it. All of you, come to the lab."

John grabbed the water carafe and a plastic tumbler. "What? You probably inhale a gallon of coffee an hour. That much coffee isn't good for anyone, so I'll drink water, thank you."

"Whatever!" McKay dismissed. "This way!"

"Rodney, I really need your work on the Ancient database," Zelenka persisted. "Especially before you go off and bond with your pretty sentinel."

"Anything I can do to help?" John asked. 

McKay stopped and looked at John. "You _talked_ to the AI?"

"Yea-a-a-h??" John replied cautiously. 

" _Dekuji_! That's the solution to everything!" Zelenka cheered. 

McKay snapped his fingers several times before pointing at Zelenka. "Make a list of everything we want to know!"

"Da!" Zelenka nodded.

John listened as the two scientists cheerfully finished each other's sentences, babbling half in English and some Slavic language John wasn't familiar with. They walked into the lab and McKay stopped. 

"Why are we here?"

"Because it's where you wanted to go?" John replied.

"No. No. No. We need to be at the chair!" 

"That's back this way." John pointed over his shoulder.

McKay whipped around. "How do you know that?"

"Like I told them," John said patiently. "Trixie gave me a map of this place."

"What?"

"A map. You know. One of those things you use to get from one place to another."

"Har-dee-har-har."

"You know, this place used to be bigger."

"What?"

"Yeah. There are some caverns out that way." John pointed. "And a couple of labs over that way." He pointed in the proper direction.

McKay and Zelenka stared. 

"You have questions you want me to ask Trixie?" John added.

"Uh...." 

"Da! Yes! We have questions!" Zelenka poked McKay. 

"Oh, right. Give us a minute to organize our thoughts." McKay turned back to his lab and scrabbled for a pad of yellow paper. He unearthed a pen and started scribbling. Zelenka peered over his shoulder and started adding his own notes to the page.

"I'll just wait over here," John said to the scientists who were busy arguing about what they wanted to know. "Hey! I already know a lot of things, you know!"

McKay turned and sighed. "Get over here. We can run the questions by you first and see what else we need to pull from the database."

"Hey! Be nice! Trixie may be an AI but she's pretty smart," John protested.

"Why did she talk to you?" McKay asked. "We've all sat in that chair...." More snapping of fingers. Good thing John thought it was cute. "I'll bet you're ATA positive!"

"I'm what?" 

"You have a genetic marker that we think is, well, not from Earth," Zelenka explained. "Those with stronger ATA genetics are better able to handle Ancient devices."

"Carson! Get Carson in here so he can be tested," McKay demanded.

At John's frown, Zalenka added, "Medical doctor. ATA needs a blood test."

"Umm... maybe," John replied. He and doctors had never gotten along well. And if this Carson wasn't S&G trained, it would be a mess.

Anderson and Matias scrounged some chairs as McKay and Zelenka bombarded him with questions. When McKay was frustrated that John couldn't answer something, John had to say, "Write it down. We can ask Trixie later."

"Oh! Right!" McKay blushed. Which John found entirely too charming. He wondered how far down that blush went...

He dragged his attention back to the questions and had a lot of "I don't know" answers, but some of what he had to share was well-received.

"Okay, that's what I can think of for now," McKay finally said. "Radek?"

"Bah! Too much and not enough!" Zelenka sighed.

"Okay, on to the chair!" McKay said.

John held up a hand. "I don't know about you, but I need a break. Food, more water, sleep."

"Sleep is for weaklings!" McKay said. Then yawned.

"See! You need a break, too!" John said. "Bathroom, then back to the mess. A nap, at least. Then we'll see about getting back to the chair."

"Maybe we can squeeze in a visit to Carson..." McKay started. 

"Not until we've had a chance to eat, pee and sleep," John said firmly. "It's not going anywhere."

McKay sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Ok, ok. You're right. I'll meet you in the mess after I stop by my room. I need a shower, too."

John grinned. McKay smelled like nutmeg and copper, but he wasn't going to stop the man from taking a break. He suspected he'd be spending the rest of his life managing McKay's work schedule.

"If you don't show up by the time we're done eating, I'm going to send one of these guys looking for you," John warned as he indicated Matias and Anderson.

"Pish, they're babies," McKay dismissed the soldiers. 

The soldiers looked amused. Evidently they were used to McKay.

Matias took John to the residential area. "Sarge was going to find you a room, but really, any empty room should do. You need anything?"

"My kit is on the chopper that I flew in this morning," John admitted. "It's in the rear compartment and has my name on it. If someone could get that, I'd appreciate it. But, for now, as long as there are towels in the bathroom, I'll be fine."

"Anderson, get someone to get the Major's things," Matias directed. "I'll wait here, since there's really no where for him to go once he's inside."

"Got it!" Anderson nodded as he went off.

"Take your time," Matias said. "Although the hot water is really hot, so take it easy with that."

"Good to know," John said. Matias closed the door behind him and waited in the corridor. 

John took a deep breath, glad to be _alone_ for a few minutes. It gave him a chance to settle down and maybe he'd meditate for a few minutes to organize all the information Trixie had given him. McKay and Zelenka had barely scratched the surface of what he had learned. It would take _days_ to debrief.

He'd also have to be ready to bond since McKay -- Rodney -- was his Guide! It was John's luck to have to travel to the ends of the Earth to find his Guide. 

The room was a single, with a narrow cot, a table near the door, and a closet with no hangers. There were towels in the minuscule bathroom that weren't quite Sentinel-friendly but were close enough for now. He washed up, the water really did get extremely hot, now wanting his kit so he could at least put on a clean t-shirt. 

John lay on the bed and set a timer so he'd only meditate for about ten minutes. Even the short time would be a help. Gentle dinging brought him back and he stretched. That felt better.

He opened the door and Anderson handed him his bag.

"Thanks!" John put the bag on the table near the door. "Food!"

"You got it!" Matias agreed. "We'll stay through dinner and the Sarge will have someone else with you after that."

"Makes sense," John nodded.

"Anything you want?" Anderson asked John.

"If it's still available, I'll try that meatloaf, some vegetables and more water," John said.

"Got it!" Anderson went off to get his dinner and John went back to the table they used earlier. 

They had just started eating when Matias muttered, "Incoming!"

_Now what?_ John thought to himself.

A woman in civilian clothes was headed in their direction. 

"Weir?" John asked softly.

Anderson nodded. 

"Gentlemen," she greeted them.

"Dr. Weir," Matias nodded a small greeting.

"I understand that Major Sheppard was using the Control Chair?" she asked. 

"Yes, ma'am," Matias said. 

"May I join you?" she asked.

"Doctors McKay and Zelenka will be coming shortly, but you are welcome to join us," Matias said politely.

Huh. Matias didn't seem to like Dr. Weir. He tucked that away.

She settled into a chair opposite John and held out a hand. "I'm Dr. Elizabeth Weir, leader of the Expedition."

John sat back in his chair and looked at her hand. "You'll have to excuse me, Dr. Weir, but I'm an unbonded Sentinel in the early stages of courting a Guide. I'd prefer not to shake hands. No offense."

A flash of... was that disgust?... went over her face but she gamely removed her hand. "And who are you courting, if I may ask?"

"You may not," John said firmly.

"If it's one of my people, I'm entitled to know," she protested.

"When we are officially courting or have bonded, you will be informed, per the protocols the Sentinel and Guide community has with the military," John replied. 

"This is a civilian-run operation!" Weir was annoyed.

"I'm active-duty military, that takes precedence over anything," John said calmly. He returned to eating his meatloaf.

She huffed in annoyance. John sensed satisfaction from Matias.

John saw McKay and Zelenka enter the Mess and McKay frowned when he saw Weir at the table. John heard McKay's voice asking questions as he went through the food line but he quickly brought his tray to the table.

As McKay approached, Matias moved a nearby table to add on to theirs. McKay put his tray down and grabbed a chair.

"I see you're actually eating a meal at mealtime," Weir said to McKay.

McKay shrugged. "The Major wanted a break and some food, works out well that way."

"Oh?" Weir seem interested in that.

Zelenka sat down next to Weir. "It took two of us to convince Rodney he needed to eat."

"They still aren't good about labeling the food," McKay complained.

"What for?" John asked.

"Citrus, mostly," McKay said. "I have a serious citrus allergy and cooks like to put lemon juice on everything. So I have to ask every time."

"I would think Dr. Weir would implement something to assure that someone who is a valuable member of her Expedition can trust the food he's eating," John said, eyes wide.

Matias snickered in his coffee but was serious by the time he set it down. 

"We've been so busy," Weir said. "It's on the list of things I need to get to."

John wondered how long they had been here and how many times McKay had complained about it. A lot, by the tightening of McKay's shoulders.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Weir?" John asked politely.

"I understand that you may be ATA positive," Weir said. "We need to get you to the infirmary so Dr. Beckett can test for that."

"Is Dr. Beckett or anyone in your infirmary certified by the S&G council?" John asked as he ate the vanilla pudding Anderson had put on his tray.

"No, but it'll be fine," Weir said dismissively.

"Since there isn't a medical emergency, I'm going to decline the blood test," John replied. "Again, the S&G protocols allow me to do that."

"It's a simple blood test!" Weir protested.

"It is also not an emergency," John said. "I can function here without the blood test."

Another huff. Weir tilted her head in consideration. "I can call back to McMurdo and have your commanding officer order you to give that blood sample."

John put down his fork and stared. "Dr. Weir. I think you need to take the time to read both the military and civilian protocols for dealing with Sentinels and Guides. I understand that Dr. Jackson is a Guide and, even for one person, whether civilian or military, the full set of protocols are to be followed. I am very surprised that General O'Neill has let his Guide anywhere near this project without those protections in place."

"Daniel hasn't complained," Weir replied.

"Then I will be complaining on his behalf," John replied, holding on to his temper. "As a Sentinel I am duty bound to protect other Sentinels and Guides."

McKay looked between them. "Daniel spoke about that in a meeting _weeks_ ago! It's probably on the same list as my allergy issues." 

Weir frowned. "It is important we have as much information as we can get. The Expedition is important to the safety of this planet!"

Whoa! John wondered what the heck was going on here.

"I suspect you cannot fully brief me until General O'Neill is available," John said. "Since that may be a couple of days, it behooves you to read the S&G manuals."

"I will send them to you," Radek offered cheerfully. "So you don't have to look for them."

Annoyed and face ruddy with temper, Weir stood and walked away without another word. John took a small risk and thinned his shields for a moment, then slammed them shut.

"You don't look so good, Major," Anderson leaned closer. 

"I... I need to go back to my room to meditate for a while," John said carefully, not wanting to spew his dinner all over the table.

"Can we..." McKay started but stopped when John held up a hand. 

"I need to be alone for half an hour," John said. "Come and see me then." He stood and Matias and Anderson followed.

"You okay?" Matias asked.

"I will be," John said. "Tell whomever is on duty only McKay is allowed in. Or General O'Neill, but I doubt if he'll show up. Under no circumstances allow Dr. Weir to enter. "

"You got it!" Matias promised. 

John barely made it to the bathroom before he was throwing up his dinner. He panted as he slumped over the toilet. He waited to make sure his stomach had settled and he stripped off his clothes and took as hot a shower as he could stand. He roughly dried off and went out into the room to grab his bag. He pulled on clean clothes and sat heavily on the bed. Taking a deep breath, he lowered himself down and stretched out. 

A polite tap on the door woke him. "Sir? Dr. McKay is here to see you."

John sat up and groggily answered, "Let him in."

McKay came in and stopped just inside the door.

"Close it," John said. 

"You look awful Major," McKay said, stepping in far enough to be able to shut the door behind himself.

"Don't doubt it. I'd offer you a chair, but I don't have one." John patted the bed. "Sit and talk to me."

McKay sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. "You are not okay. Let me get Carson..."

"No!" John sighed. "Sorry. He's not Sentinel certified and, well, I have no reason to trust him."

"I felt your shields drop for a second, what was that?"

"Weir was... hinky. If she's an even half-way decent diplomat, she should know all the S&G protocols forward and backward, and know to enforce them. That she's callously ignoring your allergies and that there's no S&G certified doctors is a huge red flag. So I scanned her..."

"You have empathy? As a Sentinel?" McKay asked in awe.

John nodded. "She's so _corrupt_ ," John ground out. "I don't know how any Sentinel or Guide can be around her for any length of time."

"Huh. That explains the impulse I have to avoid her," McKay admitted. "And I know Daniel spends as little time as possible with her."

"I can't even begin to describe the greed, the heartlessness. She's essentially a sociopath," John whispered.

"What can I do?" McKay asked. 

"We need someone who can deal with her," John said. "She has some kind of goal with this Expedition that I didn't take the time to figure out. I don't even want to be on the same planet as her."

McKay laughed. "You don't know the half of that!"

"Didn't General O'Neill sense anything?" John asked. "Or his Guide?"

"Those two are so wrapped up in each other and they've been apart for the better part of a month, I doubt that Weir even pinged on their radar. Once they're done, O'Neill has the pull to deal with her. I hope."

"Any other Sentinels or Guides here?" John asked.

"It's not on my records that I'm a Guide," McKay admitted. "I'm Canadian and they don't push us into that the way you Yanks do. I think Zelenka has a touch of Guide, but it's pretty weak. Daniel's the only one I know of and only because he's bonded to O'Neill. I don't know anything about the military personnel."

"Damn." John just breathed for a minute. Having McKay so close was helping. John turned to face McKay. "I'm willing to go through a courting period, if that will be helpful to you."

McKay grinned. "Let me try something." He reached out a hand and lay it on the side of John's neck. "Drop your shields, I've got you."

John did so, reveling in the closeness and the heat of being near his Guide. McKay left his hand on John and John could feel McKay's shields protecting them both. A feeling of _rightness_ snapped into place.

McKay withdrew his hand and John shivered at the loss of heat. He reluctantly put his shields back up.

"Until O'Neill comes up for air, I don't think it's safe for us to fully bond," McKay said. 

"I know, I feel the same way," John admitted. 

"And I'm not going to let you court me..." he held up a hand, "because that would put our relationship in the open. If you think Weir is corrupt, I believe you. But no one else is an empath, and definitely not at the level you seem to be at. Jack and Daniel together can do some pretty cool things, so -- again -- we're waiting on them."

John nodded. "That makes sense."

"Damn. Now I have to tell you to get some sleep and go back to my own bed," McKay frowned. He thought for a second. He took off the orange fleece and then his t-shirt. "Here. This will help you sleep."

"Good idea," John said, holding himself back from touching the expanse of skin in front of him. He went to the bathroom and got the t-shirt he took off earlier. "For you."

McKay grinned. "Good night."

"Good night."

John put the still-warm t-shirt on, reveling in the scent of nutmeg and copper. He set an alarm for six in the morning and slept soundly.

The morning shower washed away the last of the horrors from Weir and John came out of his room to find Matias at his door.

"Breakfast?" Matias asked.

"Sounds good." John nodded. "I'm down to one guard?"

"Well, someone may have pointed out to Sargeant Bates that there's really no where to go and that you've already breached any security protocols by sitting in the chair and talking with the docs," Matias grinned. "And that the docs are in favor of what you did, which means you did something right."

"And you drew the short straw?"

"Oh, no! I had to pull rank," Matias laughed. "I want to see what all the fuss is about."

"Then this is the place to be," John said. He didn't say anything when Matias guided him to the mess line to pick out his own breakfast. He did go over to sit against the wall. He had always done that when he could and wasn't going to stop now.

McKay shot him a grin as he went to the mess line for his own breakfast. John nodded back and a bit of tension in his shoulders went away.

"So. You and the doc?" Matias asked.

"Umm..." 

Matias held up a hand. "Won't say a word to anyone." 

John could _feel_ that promise. He sat back and eyed Matias critically. "You're a Sentinel."

Matias blinked. "I'm not!"

John shrugged. "Spidey-sense says you are. Nowhere near ready to come online. But it's there!"

"The tests say I'm not," Matias protested.

"Tests have been known to be wrong." John went back to eating his eggs.

McKay slid his tray on the table and sat next to John. He looked at Matias.

"You can trust him," John said. "Sentinel. Just not online."

"Huh. Wonder how many more of those we have wandering around here?" McKay asked rhetorically. 

"So. What's on today's agenda?" John asked as he finished up his breakfast.

"We see what questions are on the list that you can't answer yet and put you in the chair." McKay kept eating.

"Can we do some of that in the chair room? Maybe I only have a partial answer and Trixie can tell us more."

"Good idea!" McKay's eyes lit up. The blue sparkled.

"Incoming!" Matias muttered.

Weir was heading their way. John locked down his shields. 

"Good morning!" She greeted them cheerily. 

"Morning," McKay said politely.

"I'd like you to see our doctor," Weir began.

John held up a hand. "Dr. Weir. Not to be rude but we had that conversation last night. Unless it's an emergency, I have the right to refuse any doctors that are not S&G certified."

Weir made a small face. 

"Elizabeth, did you read the documents Radek sent to you about dealing with Sentinels and Guides?" Rodney demanded.

"That's on today's schedule," she admitted.

"Then read those documents thoroughly before you approach the Major again," McKay snapped. "I don't know how you've been a diplomat without having information about Sentinels and Guides memorized." His eyes narrowed. "I don't know how you've been named leader of the Expedition without that information, either."

Weir reared back. "I will see you both later." She stalked away.

John let her walk away before asking Rodney, "Umm... how does the chain of command work around here? Weir's the leader of the Expedition -- something I need to know more about pretty soon -- but do you work for her or for the Military?"

"Technically, she heads up the Expedition but at this point, you're right, I'm currently under contract to the Military and not to the IOA." Rodney blinked. "Okay, don't ask. But all of the science staff are contracted to the military at the moment."

John grinned. "Not a problem." He looked down to his empty tray. "Can we take some water with us? You're going to keep me in that chair too long and I need to keep drinking."

"Got ya covered there," Matias said. "I talked to the Chief and I can get a couple of carafes of water and cups before we leave."

"Thank you," John said.

"Ready?" McKay asked.

"Let me hit the head first," John said. 

"Good idea," McKay agreed. 

"Umm... okay, I'll get someone to bring us water when we get to the chair room," Matias announced. "Can't leave you, sir."

"Not a problem," John nodded. "I'll be fine for a while, so whenever someone has a chance."

"Okay, we'll swing by the lab to pick up the list of questions and then to the chair," McKay said. "Does that work."

"The AI is going to want to chat with me for a bit," John countered. "Let me get settled into the chair and take the edge off of its neediness. It should be better by the time you get there."

"Fair enough," McKay nodded. "See you in a bit."

John used the closest bathroom to wash up after breakfast and relieve himself. He and Matias went off to the chair room.

"You might as well find a chair," John said. "This is going to be really boring for a bit."

"Boring, I can do!" Matias said cheerfully. "Let's hope it stays that way."

John sat on the chair and activated contact with the AI. As he had thought, it had been 'worried' that he would not come back but it had followed his life sign through the complex so it knew he hadn't left completely. John reminded Trixie about biological needs, that he was a biological entity and that he would need to eat, sleep and move around. He found himself promising to not leave the base without letting it know. That seemed to help.

He felt a poking at his shoulder and came aware enough to see McKay standing there.

"Okay, let me see how to do this," John said. "Give me a minute."

John went back to Trixie to figure out how to get McKay to ask questions and John get the answers without having to manage the awareness issue. Going in and out of awareness would slow down the process. 

_You are_ frouros. _Have your_ adigos _complete circuit._

John frowned. " _Frouros_? Any idea what that might be. I need to complete a circuit with _adigos_." 

McKay shook his head.

Matias sighed. "Sentinel. Guide. Or close enough."

They looked at him. "Hey! Grew up multilingual. Making an educated guess."

"And completing a circuit means... touching!" McKay exclaimed.

"Umm... let's make this discreet," John said. "If Weir comes along, and I won't be surprised if she does, I don't want to give anything away to her."

"Take your boots off," McKay said. "I can touch you at the ankle. Even if she catches that, it's less obvious."

"O-o-o-kay." John untied the boots and kicked them off to one side. McKay's hand was warm on his ankle.

"Now I can't take notes," McKay complained.

"Doesn't that thing have a voice recorder?" Matias rolled his eyes as he waved at the tablet in McKay's hand.

"Oh! Right. Never use it!" McKay poked at the tablet, thought for a second and poked some more. "Automatic encryption. Don't want anyone who shouldn't to get access."

"Good idea. Ready?" John asked. McKay nodded. 

John leaned back on the chair as McKay put his hand on John's ankle.

_You are an efficient circuit together._

McKay's eyes got wide. 

"First question?" John prompted. 

"Oh. Right." He looked down at the list on the tablet and read it off. John would summarize the flood of information. Or he would ask Trixie to show him where in the database they could find that information again.

There were a number of things she did not know, to McKay's dismay. Some were half there, the other half scrambled in the database. Some questions she could not answer at all.

_I am neolaia. I do not have storage for all the information that my mitera has._

"Can we talk to your mitera?" John asked her.

_I have not talked to her for eight thousand three hundred and forty-seven revolutions around this sun._

John thought that sounded a bit sad.

"Do you know where she is?" Rodney asked.

_She was here._ A map of stars appeared above them, one spot shining bright.

"Where are we in relation to that?" Rodney asked.

The map shrunk and the Milky Way appeared. A spark appeared to represent Earth.

"Is that Atlantis?" Weir's voice came in suddenly.

"We're just getting there," Rodney said testily. He removed his hand from John's ankle but decided not to stop the recording.

"What can you find about Ascension?" Weir asked. 

"Not on the list at the moment, but we can ask," John said, sitting up. He yawned. "Sorry, been doing this since breakfast."

"And it's a good time for lunch!" Matias said cheerfully.

"But I just got here!" Weir protested.

"We've been at it for about four hours, the Major is entitled to a break," McKay said firmly. 

"If nothing else, I need the head," John leaned forward so he could stand.

"I'll expect a report of your session," Weir said.

"Of course," McKay nodded. 

From that point on, John and McKay, aided and abetted by Matias and Bates, spent two days playing 'keep away from Weir.' They didn't, quite, turn around and go the other way when they saw her but they managed to frequently be just finishing up whatever they were doing as she came by.

She finally resorted to scheduling a meeting that John and McKay couldn't find a way to get out of.

"Let me try something," John said as the meeting crept closer. "I need to get into the chair."

McKay looked puzzled but agreed. And didn't ask questions, for which John was grateful.

They went into the meeting, steeled for a nasty session.

They had settled into the conference room and Weir demanded, "Tell me what you have found! Everything!"

The door to the conference room opened and Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson strolled in.

"Dr. Weir! So good of you to invite us!" O'Neill said cheerfully.

Jackson frowned and looked around. Since it was only John and McKay, he looked even more confused.

"General! I'm not sure you're needed at this meeting," Weir said carefully. "The Major and Dr. McKay are about to brief me on what they've found from the Ancient database."

"Oh, cool! I'm certainly interested in that!" O'Neill sat down in a chair next to John. "Sheppard, I told you not to touch anything!"

"It asked so nicely!" John protested.

"Oh, it did, did it? Hmm..."

"Sir? I need you and Dr. Jackson to scan Dr. Weir," John said softly.

"You will not!" Weir reared back.

"Sorry, sir," John sighed. "I am declaring Dr. Elizabeth Weir _anathama_ and consider her a danger to the Tribe."

Weir stood up. "I will not stand for this!" she shouted.

O'Neill's face went from shock to grim. "Daniel." O'Neill held out a hand.

John reached out a hand to McKay. "Be ready to protect them," he said. Rodney looked worried but took John's hand.

O'Neill stood and Jackson stood at his shoulder. "Dr. Elizabeth Weir, you have been declared _anathama_. Prepare to be scanned."

"I WILL NOT!" Weir shouted. 

At the shout, Matias opened the door to the conference room, evidently startled by the noise.

John could see Jackson start to get green and said to McKay, "Protect them. NOW!" 

Without warning, Weir fell unconscious and slid to the floor.

O'Neill had both arms around Jackson, talking softly to his Guide. 

McKay's eyes were wide and he was shaking. John put his arms around him.

Matias had called for medical help without being prompted. 

A trio of medical staff rushed in. 

"What happened?" one man asked.

"Dr. Weir is suffering from empathic shock," John said. "She was becoming dangerous and Dr. McKay knocked her out. She is physically unharmed but she will come up swinging when she awakens. She needs to be closely monitored and under the care of a psychiatrist."

The man's eye's went wide. "Dr. Weir is nae dangerous!"

"General, as far as I know, none of the medical staff is S&G certified," John said. 

The nurse that was checking Weir over stood up. "General. I've taken the coursework for S&G certification on my own and just need to complete a residency, which I'm scheduled to do when I rotate stateside. I can help."

"Thank you, Nurse Bending. Follow Major Sheppard's directions and contact whomever you need if you need assistance. She has been declared _anathama_ , so be careful and protect yourself," O'Neill said, not letting go of Jackson. 

Bending's eyes narrowed in understanding. She nodded. "I'll call for assistance immediately."

"Dr. Beckett, I know you and Dr. Weir are friends, but I think it's best that you step away from this case and let someone else manage it."

"But..." 

"No buts!" O'Neill said firmly. "I need to take Daniel back to our room. Sheppard, take care of McKay. Meet here tomorrow and we'll debrief then."

"Sergeant, put a twenty four hour guard on Dr. Weir," John said. "Only staff Nurse Bending or any one she has personally approved gets near her."

"Yes, sir!" Matias nodded.

"Sheppard. Get out of here," O'Neill said. 

"Thank you, sir," John replied. He guided Rodney out of the room and to his own. He kicked off his shoes and encouraged Rodney to do the same. He threw back the covers and lay them down on the bed. 

"You okay?" John asked softly.

"Headache. Didn't know I could do that," Rodney muttered against his shoulder.

"Want anything for it?" John asked.

"Getting better," Rodney admitted. "Now that I can close my eyes and relax, I should be okay. Being with you helps."

"O'Neill gave us the rest of the day off," John murmured. "So we can do this as long as you need."

"How'd you know I could do that?" Rodney asked.

"Didn't know what you would do, but knew your instincts would be to protect us," John said. "You're my guide. So I had faith."

"Huh." Rodney relaxed some more. "This is nice."

"Yeah, it is. Take a nap and we can talk later." John rubbed a hand up and down Rodney's back.

"Good idea."

John woke some time later and had to pee, which then disturbed McKay. 

"Let's get some food," John suggested. 

McKay blushed when his stomach gurgled. "I could eat."

It wasn't until he got to the mess that John realized his guard was gone. Matias would have told Bates what had happened and the fact that General O'Neill trusted John meant that they could do without the guard. 

They took coffee and dessert back to John's room. 

"My room's a mess," McKay admitted. "There's barely any room to move around, so your room is better."

John sipped at his coffee. "This is as good a chance to talk as any. If you want."

McKay sighed. "I never thought to find a Sentinel, you know. I've mostly avoided that discussion because most of the Sentinel's I've met are in the military or law enforcement. Not that that's bad, it's just not always conducive with doing science. I'm kind of a snob and I can't see myself paired off with someone who can't keep up with me."

"I get that," John admitted. 

"The fact that you have the ATA gene, you're working on a PhD, and yet are in the military and you're _here_ at the right time, in the right place... that's something out of a fairy tale."

"You're not a bad catch either, you know. You did good under pressure today, which shows how compatible we should be. I like you and I think we can do some amazing things together."

"Now what?" 

"I'd like to kiss you," John admitted. 

McKay... Rodney grinned. "I think we can try that."

Kissing was good. Very good, John thought. He got lost in the taste and touch.

"Let's bond," Rodney said at one point.

"You sure?"

Rodney nodded. "We won't have a lot of time to ourselves right away, but there are larger rooms and we could move into one."

"Hopefully, we can get General O'Neill to pull rank so I don't have to go back to McMurdo right away."

"Psh. Your S&G regulations allows you bonding time. We'll just take it here."

John leaned in for a soft kiss.

In the morning, wrapped around a naked Rodney, John couldn't believe his luck. He didn't want to move but he knew they needed food. 

Rodney looked at him, eyes wide. "What..." He frowned and concentrated for a minute. "There's a... _hum?_ that's the wrong word but I can't describe it. I've never heard that before."

"Oh. That must be Trixie. Our bonding must have kicked off something so that you know she's there now."

"Daniel never said anything about it."

"Maybe he didn't know what it was and assumed everyone heard the same thing." John shrugged. "If the shower was bigger, I'd take one with you. Go ahead and take the first shower, but watch the towels. There's only a couple in there."

"You take a shower here, we'll go back to my room and I can get clean clothes," Rodney countered. 

"Okay, that makes sense." John hurried through the shower and put on his last clean t-shirt. "I'll need to do some laundry if we're going to stay here any longer."

"I need to do laundry, I can show you where it is," Rodney offered. "That's one thing that is Sentinel and Guide friendly. So you'll be good with that."

Rodney's room was the mess he promised it to be and John had to move several journals to be able to sit on the bed. 

"Food first, then laundry," John said. 

"Good by me," Rodney agreed. 

John found himself touching Rodney a lot. Not that Rodney seemed to mind. 

Going back to the conference room, John turned to Rodney. "Has it only been a day?"

"Feels like... a long time," Rodney admitted.

O'Neill and Jackson came in and settled in.

"Sheppard, you are a pain in the ass," O'Neill grinned. "In a good way, I guess. You really know how to step in it."

"As long as I'm doing a good job," John grinned back.

"Whatever." O'Neill waved a hand. "And congratulations on your bonding. That settled really fast."

John looked at Rodney. "I don't think we're finished but we know there are other things to do before we can take more than a few hours at a time. Needs of the Tribe, it feels like."

"Huh." O'Neill's eyes narrowed. "You got the AI to poke us, didn't you?"

John shrugged but he could feel Rodney's smug _I told you so_. "Sorry. Needs must. I needed someone with enough authority to be available before we could take on Weir. You were all I had."

"Well, you did the best you could, considering you're new to some of this," O'Neill sighed. 

"At some point, do I get to know what _some of this_ really is?" John asked.

"Jack, you need to sign John up as soon as..." Rodney started.

O'Neill held up a hand. "Already under way. Sheppard, you'll find an NDA in your email. It's huge. Read it. All of it. Ask questions. Before you sign it. Especially now that you've bonded with McKay."

"O-o-o-kay," John said. _What had he gotten into?_

Rodney leaned over. "Don't worry. It'll be good in the end."

"Better be," John muttered.

"I've had a long heart-to-heart talk with Dr. Beckett and it turns out Weir is here under... let's say questionable circumstances," O'Neill said.

"That's putting it mildly," Jackson added.

"I wasn't going to let Daniel near her but I did need information. Luckily the doc had some insights," O'Neill went on. "He admitted she's blackmailing him to keep quiet about it, but she's essentially a dormant Guide. The bare bones is that she was a teen when she was just coming online as a Guide and her Sentinel was murdered in front of her, by, of all things, a dormant Sentinel. Talk about bad karma. She worked hard to stay away from Sentinels and Guides over the years but in the past year or so she's become hooked on anti-psychotic drugs to manage interactions with Sentinels and Guides. Beckett's become her supplier. Your presence was enough to tip her into a full psychotic break. I have a medi-vac unit coming to take her back to McMurdo and then back Stateside."

John felt a _nudge_ in his head. "Umm... Trixie may have something for us for that. I'll have to sit in the chair for details." A pleased _hum_ came.

"Okay, what is this with _Trixie_?" O'Neill asked. Daniel looked eager.

"It's the AI that runs the place," John replied. "I was wandering around and, huh, probably not accidentally stumbled across the chair room. It pretty much begged me to sit in the chair and the AI was so lonely it glommed on to me. And she picked the name from a list I kind of gave her."

"An AI?" Jackson leaned forward. "It's sentient?"

"Essentially," John admitted. "It's self aware and knows that we're here. Rodney says it's like a _hum_ in the background."

Jackson sat back and closed his eyes for a moment. "I can feel that!" He turned to O'Neill and held out a hand. "You're ATA positive! You should be able to feel her, too!"

O'Neill took Jackson's hand and went still.

"Oh! Okay, now I get it," he admitted. 

"She also knows about Sentinels and Guides," John added. "So she may have information on dealing with Weir."

Jackson shuddered. "Scanning her was awful. I don't want to be anywhere near her."

"I don't either," John agreed. "But if we can do something for her, that will help everyone."

"You're a good man, John Sheppard," Daniel said softly.

John knew he was blushing. 

"Let's go and see what Trixie has to say and we'll go from there," O'Neill decided.

John kicked his boots off as he sat in the chair. Rodney moved close to be able to touch while he talked to the AI.

John could see O'Neill paying attention and Daniel just vibrating with eagerness. Once they got the information they needed about Weir, John figured he'd have to fight to keep O'Neill out of the chair. Well, he'd have to fight Jackson as he pushed his Sentinel into the chair.

"Okay, Trixie, what do you have for me?" John asked.

Information about Sentinels and Guides came in a flood. 

"Whoa! Let's slow this down a bit and keep to the topic of dealing with a damaged Guide," John said in an attempt to guide the information.

A momentary pause then more targeted information. Some of which was immediately useful. A couple of options John discounted immediately since it would open them up to feedback from Weir. John babbled some of the options to Rodney but also so that O'Neill and Jackson could weigh in.

The best option turned out to be putting Weir in the chair and letting Trixie essentially turn off her Guide abilities. It would be efficient and, more importantly, permanent. 

"Someone get Nurse Bending here," John said as he sat up. "She needs to know what we're planning and can help us move Weir here. I don't want Beckett involved, if we can avoid it."

"Oh, hell, I can put a security need-to-know blanket on it," O'Neill said. "That should take care of most of the busy-bodies."

"Good, do that," John said. "You really don't want _anyone_ to know that Trixie can do something like that."

"Good point," O'Neill said. "All of this already has its own security classification and we'll make sure to check Sentinels for ATA genes."

"Get Sergeant Bates involved in the security," John added. "At least one of his people was here as we talked to Trixie and he's an inactive Sentinel, so he can be trusted but I don't know about the rest of that outfit."

"Noted," O'Neill agreed. 

"Ja-a-ck, come on! Sit in the chair!" Jackson whined.

John got up and stood back. "All yours!" 

"Any touch is fine," Rodney directed. "We just did the ankle thing because we were concerned that Weir would see and ask questions."

John watched as O'Neill climbed into the chair and sat back. Jackson put a hand on top of O'Neill's. John snickered as Jackson started to rattle off a series of questions and O'Neill's eyes got wide.

"Just tell her when it's too much," John said. "I usually have to tell her to slow down, and then focus on a more specific question. Like narrowing search parameters."

O'Neill nodded. 

Nurse Bending came up at that point. "What's up?"

"Before the medi-vac team shows up for Dr. Weir, which I'm thinking might be soon?" Bending nodded. "We'd like to put her in the chair for... I think ten minutes will do it," John outlined. "I'm not going to challenge your ethics by telling you what we're doing but it's for the best for everyone if we can do this."

Bending considered for a moment before she nodded. "The medi-vac team doesn't have security clearance to come down the elevator, so I was taking her up to them. We can, umm, just take the long way around from the infirmary to the elevator."

"That works!" John gave her a smile. "Thank you!"

Weir was unconscious through the entire episode and John helped Bending move Weir to the chair and back. O'Neill had taken Jackson away so they could have a small level of plausible deniability. 

John made himself watch as Trixie did whatever she did and it seemed that Weir's face lost a layer of stress by the time she was moved back to the gurney.

"Okay, I need more food, a nap and I understand I have to read the equivalent of War and Peace before we can do anything else," John said to Rodney.

"Bring your reading to the lab," Rodney offered. "That way you can keep me company while I catch up on whatever else has been happening."

"Deal!" John said happily, glad to not have to be away from Rodney.

"I'll check to see if O'Neill got us better quarters, too," Rodney said. "We don't have to move everything, but it'll be nice to have a bigger bed."

John leaned in for a kiss. "That would be better!"

O'Neill did remember to get them a bigger room. John moved his one bag of things to the room and Rodney took an armful of clothing so they could spend the night. Rodney was eager to get back to the lab but John made him take a short nap and get some food before he would let them go back to the lab.

As Rodney worked through his backlog of email, he answered random questions Zelenka would ask him. The two worked well together and John was glad that Rodney had a good friend.

Going back to the NDA in his email, John spent the evening reading pages of dry, legal material. Then he read one section, blinked and re-read it.

"Rodney! You never told me! Spaceships!"

"Spaceships. Aliens that like us. Aliens that hate us. It's all out there!" Rodney grinned.

John paged down a bit. "Hey! Can you build me a ray gun?"

Rodney groaned as Zelenka held out a hand. "You owe me twenty dollars!"


End file.
